During the last decade or so in increased focus on safety has resulted in development of solutions for making the working situation for deckhands working at the work deck of anchor handling vessels and other service vessels offshore, safer. Many of the solutions includes introduction of tools that makes it possible to avoid having personnel doing manual work at the most exposed positions and close to moving equipment at the working, of aft, deck. Automation and introduction of robot systems have made it possible to withdraw personnel from the exposed and most dangerous positions.
WO2006123934 describes a crane comprising a base part that preferably is arranged movable along the cargo rail of the working deck. The base part is rotary arranged to allow the craned to be operated 360°. A main boom is arranged at base part and may be operated by means of one ore more hydraulic cylinder(s). Two working jibs are arranged at the outward extending part of the main jib, each of which working jibs may be driven by individual hydraulic cylinders. Tools are arranged at the free end of the working jibs. A first tool is a chain claw. The chain claw comprises a U-shaped jaw part, and a movable jaw part that is adopted to handle chains. Another tool is a hooking tool, comprising a hooking member that may be retracted into a protective member when not in use. A third tool is a wire twister that is adopted to grip and twist wires.
The tool according to WO2006123934 solves some of the tasks to replace manual work at the exposed working deck, but device is dependent on the use of several working jibs at a crane and the use of different tools.
SU 701918 relates to a hydraulic grab for carrying long loads, such as timber. A supplementary jaw on one of the main jaws to enable gripping of single loads is also provided. The supplementary jaw is pivotally connected to the main jaw and is operated by means of a hydraulic actuator. Accordingly, the resulting supplementary grab for single loads depends on loads having a diameter within relatively narrow limits to work optimally, a diameter resulting in the gripping surfaces of the supplementary jaw and the main jaws being substantially parallel. When gripping over an object having a larger diameter, the object in the jaw will be forced out of the gripping device when gripping.
An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible multipurpose tool for a crane, for performing tasks as:                Handling of wire, including wire torsion control,        Handling of chains,        Handling of fiber rope        Pennant catching, lasso tool for buoy catching,        Different anchor handling operations, such as pushing and pulling objects on deck,        Pennant delivery,        Handling of chain and cutting of wire.        
The tools described above will not have the flexibility needed for a multipurpose tool according to the object of the present invention.